The present invention relates to flexible hose and especially to the type of flexible sewer hose utilized for discharge of waste and sewage effluent from holding tanks in recreational vehicles otherwise known as "RV's."
These RV's, as they are known, are in widespread use and include several different types such as motor homes, campers, and various types of trailers, These usually incorporate many conveniences including running water, showers, toilet facilities, cooking facilities. The waste or discharge from these facilities is generally received and retained in a self contained holding tank in the vehicle when it is not in a camp where the holding tank can be directly connected to a sewer or dump tank.
When the vehicle is parked in a camp or park, it is customary to connect the vehicle holding tank directly to a sewer or dump tank and transfer accumulated waste as it is produced by means of flexible sewer or discharge hose having a quick connect coupling at one end which can be secured to a waste connection on the vehicle. Such hose is generally flexible and stretchable and may be 4-6 feet long when relaxed and stretchable to 10-12 feet.
The hose construction most commonly utilized is in the form of a pleated plastic tube such as a vinyl polymer or the like reinforced by means of a wire spring imbedded or attached to the pleats thereof which permits the hose to be stretched for discharge or collapsed for storage. The most commonly used type of hose for this purpose consists merely of a light weight plastic sleeve reinforced with a light spring having a low degree of resilience and in use the hose frequently rests at least partially on the ground when it is inserted into the sewage dump and connected to the R.V. sewage disposal outlet.
A serious problem often arises with the use of such hose due to the fact that wear and tear after a period of use frequently causes small holes to form with resultant leakage of sewage. This is generally due to abrasion, usually at a point where the wire reinforcement is bonded to the plastic sleeve but may also be due to punctures from other sources. To remedy this problem by using heavy weight plastic sleeves would greatly increase the cost of such hose as well as greatly increasing weight and bulk.